


Happy Birthday, Old man!

by orphan_account



Category: Video Blogging RPF, jacksepticeye
Genre: Birthday, Comfort No Hurt, Gen, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23725960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: This was supposed to be for Chase's 3rd birthday but it is what it is-
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Happy Birthday, Old man!

It was too early to still be awake, Chase knew that. Or was it too late? He couldn’t tell. It was dark outside, well past midnight. The house was practically silent, with the air conditioner being the only sound within the quiet. It was driving him crazy, he swore it. The more he focused on that, the less he had to focus on tomorrow. His birthday, just like the year before.

Every year it felt the same. He’d wake up in the middle of the night, and it would be cold. The air around him would seem stagnant and dull. But this year, there was something off. He knew what it was the moment he sat up. He wasn’t able to see his kids this time.

He massaged his temples and looking towards the clock on his nightstand. 11:44 pm. The perfect time to wake up with a headache, right?

With a groan, he edged his way out of bed. The floor was an icy chill, but he was too tired to look for a pair of slippers. Plus, the closet didn’t look that welcoming at this time of night. Hell, wandering through the house didn’t feel right either. But, despite his better judgment, he stalked his way to the hall.

Everyone else should’ve been asleep, but the soft glow of lights in the kitchen down the hallway convinced him otherwise.

/‘It’s probably Jackie.’/ he tried to convince himself, mentally preparing himself for the hero’s constant enthusiasm, /'isn’t he on patrol tonight?/

Still, a tender grip on his chest remained. Time felt altered at the moment. The hallway felt longer and longer, and there were dead weights on his feet. His eyes urged themselves shut, but he wouldn’t let them close, not yet.

He blinked once, twice maybe. Static filled his ears, and his own movements were altered. He wasn’t in control. He turned back, blinded by the faint red glow of the room. No, no not again. He couldn’t go through this again. His headache got worse, and his chest tightened. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t run.

He couldn’t even scream when he heard his closet door, and then his bedroom, open ever so slowly. He couldn’t call for help, or cry, or thrash when he saw him…or /it/ slowly inch closer towards him. Again, and again, it repeated. Every time the being moved faster and faster towards him, stopping right in front of his face before glitching back to the original position. Fucking circles of time, an ever present loop.

And then he felt it. He felt warm hands grip his shoulders. He was crying now, the hoarseness of his own wheezing startling him. Shaking back and forth, nails digging into his skin. No, no this couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t caught, not yet. Every night he’d had the same nightmare, but it had never touched him. He’d never felt something like this.

“Chase…Chase, wake up.” A voice faded in and out, calling his name.

And he yelped as he was suddenly pulled back into reality. He was on the ground now. The static left his ears and the hall had faded back into the normal beige. The hands on his shoulders loosened, and he could feel his body still shaking.

“Chase, dude, you alright?” Jackie. Jackie stood over him, then kneeling down to eye level. "I heard some, uhh…a smack? Like as if something had fallen from a shelf or…or something and-“

"What the hell happened?” Chase’s voice sounded fake, and his hands shook as he looked down at them. A sickening pit rose in his stomach.  
/'Fuck, not again. You’ve made a damn fool of yourself.’/

“That’s what I was trying to ask you. I just came out here after wrapping–…nevermind. It wasn’t important what I was doing, it’s important that I know you’re okay. You were on the ground, dude. You looked dead.”

“’m fine…” He snapped, flinching away when Jackie got up and set out a hand. “Probably sleepwalking…yeah, yeah that’s it.”

Jackie gave a sympathetic nod and rocked on his heels for a moment. An awkward tenseness lingered, and an uncomfortable silence followed. He glanced at his watch, and his face lit up.

“Well, would you look at the time!” The hero’s somber expression changed into the usual peppy tone. “Come on, we have 5 minutes.”

“F-five minutes 'til what?”

Jackie didn’t answer and hoisted the elder man from the ground. He held his hand to practically drag him into the kitchen. The light was blinding, but Chase didn’t say a word. He was still slightly out of it, and didn’t want to waste any more energy on talking. His head already pounded, but he refrained from reaching into the med cabinet when Jackie finally let go of the tight grip.

“It’s almost midnight, what the hell are we waiting for?” Chase rubbed his eyes and watched as Jackie hoisted himself up onto the kitchen counter.

“Well, since everyone else couldn’t make it…” The young hero smiled and swung his legs back and forth as the clock kept ticking, “I thought I’d th–no, no wait I can’t tell you! We’re still waiting for another…2 minutes.”

/'What type of games is this kid pulling now?’/ Chase thought, hesitating before fixing himself a glass of water.

“Three…” Jackie whispered softly to himself, “two…”

“The hell?” Chase mumbled, running his hands through his hair.

“One!”

The hero pulled out a small party blower from his back pocket. He played the quite dull sound and jumped back off of the counter.

“Happy birthday!” He pulled out a small fondant cupcake from the breadbox behind him.

Chase was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of affection. He didn’t even think Jackie remembered, much less cared. Jackie handed it to the other, and the look of pure joy and excitement sent Chase’s mind in a frenzy.

“For me, really?” He didn’t fully believe it still.

“I-I got you this from downtown, you know the shop with the ice creams and stuff? I know it’s not a huge party or anything, but–”

“No…no, this is perfect.” Chase’s face softened into a small smile. “Th-thanks, kid.”

He was crying again, wasn’t he?

“O-oh uhh, d-don’t be sad?” Jackie tensed, awkwardly putting his arms out for a hug. Chase took up the offer, burying his face into the other’s chest. “I did something wrong, didn’t I?”

Chase could only shake his head, his voice was too indistinguishable through the sobbing mess anyway. The gestures felt like something his kids would do, really. Or was it that he hadn’t expected to get anything in the first place? He couldn’t think straight either way.

“Wait, one more thing!” Jackie nudged Chase back, scurrying away to another room for a few moments before coming back with something held behind him. “Close your eyes.”

He complied and tried rubbing away the tears in the process. Within seconds, he felt something warm get placed on his head, and he automatically went to take it back off.

His old hat. Jackie got the old hat back.

“I got Marvin to make you a new one since you lost it. I hope it’s okay, we didn’t really have a reference and–”

“Wow…” Chase couldn’t say anything else, or else he’d start bawling again.

“Happy birthday, old man.”

And a happy birthday it was.


End file.
